Source: https://deftridge.com/rates/payroll-specialist/united-states/ Title: Payroll Specialist rate in the United States | Deftridge Summary: Payroll Specialist pay in the United States: median wage $34 an hour, typical part-time contractor rate $50. The rate is on every task, before you apply. United States · **Updated November 4, 2026** # Payroll Specialist hourly rate in United States The market median wage for a Payroll Specialist in the United States is **$33.84 an hour**. A senior part-time contractor typically receives **$50 an hour** on Deftridge. **$50/hr** typical contractor rate, senior **$33.84/hr** median wage **$28-40** middle half of wages **$1,080** a month at 5 hours a week ## Payroll Specialist wage percentiles in United States Employee wages for the role. The yellow row is the median. | Percentile | Per hour | 5 h a week, per month | Full time, per year | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 10th | $22.94 | $500 | $47,700 | | 25th | $27.87 | $600 | $58,000 | | Median | $33.84 | $730 | $70,400 | | 75th | $40.43 | $880 | $84,100 | | 90th | $47.25 | $1,020 | $98,300 | Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025; aged to October 2026; about 156,950 people employed in the role. [How rates are built](https://deftridge.com/rates/methodology/). ## United States in numbers What sets the United States apart for a Payroll Specialist, from the same sources as the table above. - **$44.07** highest median wage, California - **$26.65** lowest median wage, West Virginia - **156,950** people employed in the role - **$57.26** median wage in the San Jose metro area, the highest in the country - **$35** country floor: no United States rate is published below it - Self-employment tax is 15.3%: 12.4% Social Security plus 2.9% Medicare; the employer-equivalent half is deductible in working out adjusted gross income. [Source](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes) - For 2026 the first $184,500 of combined wages, tips and net self-employment earnings is subject to the Social Security part. [Source](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/self-employment-tax-social-security-and-medicare-taxes) ## What contractors receive The Deftridge rate for a Payroll Specialist in the United States by level and by format. The company adds 15% on top; you keep all of the rate shown. | Level | Per hour | Per month at 5 h/week | | --- | --- | --- | | Specialist | $40 | $870 | | Senior | $50 | $1,080 | | Manager | $60 | $1,300 | - Regular role **$50** - One-off task **$55** - Task bundle **$50** ## Payroll Specialist pay by region in United States Typical contractor rate for a senior Payroll Specialist, highest first; 9 of 51 places shown. | Place | Median wage | Contractor rate | | --- | --- | --- | | California | $44.07 | $65 | | District of Columbia | $43.85 | $65 | | New York | $38.66 | $55 | | New Hampshire | $38.43 | $55 | | Washington | $37.82 | $55 | | Rhode Island | $37.69 | $55 | | Alaska | $37.60 | $55 | | Vermont | $37.51 | $55 | | Colorado | $37.26 | $55 | ## Highest-paying metro areas Median employee wage for the role in the metro area (BLS OEWS). - [San Jose $57.26/hr median wage · range $47-68](https://deftridge.com/rates/payroll-specialist/california/) - [San Francisco $55.87/hr median wage · range $46-66](https://deftridge.com/rates/payroll-specialist/california/) - [Napa $48.05/hr median wage · range $40-58](https://deftridge.com/rates/payroll-specialist/california/) - [Vallejo $46.24/hr median wage · range $40-52](https://deftridge.com/rates/payroll-specialist/california/) - [San Diego $45.28/hr median wage · range $39-54](https://deftridge.com/rates/payroll-specialist/california/) - [Sacramento $45.08/hr median wage · range $39-53](https://deftridge.com/rates/payroll-specialist/california/) - [Santa Rosa $44.59/hr median wage · range $36-54](https://deftridge.com/rates/payroll-specialist/california/) - [Santa Cruz $44.44/hr median wage · range $35-53](https://deftridge.com/rates/payroll-specialist/california/) - [San Luis Obispo $43.28/hr median wage · range $35-52](https://deftridge.com/rates/payroll-specialist/california/) - [Riverside $42.92/hr median wage · range $36-52](https://deftridge.com/rates/payroll-specialist/california/) ## Questions about pay, fees and privacy The same rules apply to every task, so they live on two pages: [Pricing](https://deftridge.com/pricing/) explains the 15% fee, prepayment and when you are paid; [How it works](https://deftridge.com/how-it-works/) covers matching, what a company sees and side work next to a job. [Payroll Specialist rates in every country](https://deftridge.com/rates/payroll-specialist/) · [Payroll Specialist jobs in United States](https://deftridge.com/jobs/payroll-specialist/united-states/) · [Methodology](https://deftridge.com/rates/methodology/)